Student Admissions, Outcomes, and Other Data

The following information is published here to guide students through the graduate application process, though scheduling time with a graduate advisor is also recommended.

Required Materials

A completed graduate studies application.

An official transcript from each institution attended.

One official copy of your general GRE test scores. Please have your GRE scores sent by ETS (Educational Testing Service) to the University of Houston, University Park Campus (Code: 6870). The Department of Psychology will only accept official GRE scores sent from ETS.

Three letters of recommendation.

A career statement, please include two faculty members with whom you wish to work during your graduate school process.

A $55.00 non-refundable processing fee is due at the time of your application submission. Fee must be paid online via CollegeNet.

Submission Process for Domestic Applicants

Program deadlines for receipt of application materials are as follows for fall admission the following academic year:

December 1

Clinical Psychology

December 1

Developmental Psychology

January 15

Industrial/Organizational Psychology

January 15

Social Psychology

We highly encourage applicants to submit their materials electronically:

All applicants: You are encouraged to contact the Academic Affairs Office (ptolar@uh.edu) to ensure your materials are arriving as requested. Applicants may be nominated for a Presidential Fellowship.

Outcomes and Other Data

Support Information, 2013-2014

1. Funding support for all first year students is available through Teaching Assistantships (TA) in the Department of Psychology. For 2013-14 the monthly stipend for a 50% appointment (20 hrs/wk) will minimally be $965, or $8685 for the nine-month academic year. Students in TA appointments are assigned to 1 to 3 course sections per semester, depending on the workload of the course(s). Summer support as a TA ($2895 total for 3 months) is also available upon early request by the student and fund availability. Students typically receive a summer assignment if requested. Research Assistantships (RA) are also sometimes available to first year students, if they will be working with a faculty member who has a funded project on which to place the student. Stipends vary, typically ranging from $965 to $1800/month.

2. Other benefits include an excellent comprehensive state employee health benefit package (after a 90-day waiting period) at low cost to the student (student pays $85/month; State and University pay $385/month or $4622 total/year), a waiver of non-resident tuition rates for out-of-state students (worth $10,530/year) and a doctoral tuition fellowship that covers the cost of twelve credit hours for the Fall and Spring semesters and six credit hours for the Summer semester (worth approximately $7000/year). The tuition fellowship does not cover college designated tuition or fees. Please note that full-time graduate study for first-year in the Department of Psychology requires twelve credit hours each for the Fall and Spring semesters, and six credit hours for the summer semester.

Bottom line: For tuition and fees, students should expect to pay approximately $800 for each of the Fall and Spring semesters next year and approximately $550 in the Summer. Rates may increase slightly before Fall 2013. In order to qualify for the health benefits, the tuition fellowship, or a waiver of out-of-state tuition, students must maintain at least a 50% appointment, be registered as a full-time student, and in good standing.

3. After the second year, students may qualify for a Teaching Fellowship (TF). Teaching Fellows are instructors of record for a course. Each TF is expected to instruct 2 course sections per semester. The current monthly stipend for a 50% TF appointment is $1100,or $9900 for the nine-month academic year. Summer support as a TF ($3300 total for 3 months) is also available upon early request by the student, and fund availability.

4. The Department does not guarantee support beyond the first year. However, students in good standing have been successful in securing multi-year funding support through a combination of teaching, research appointments, external internships, or traineeships.

5. Students in the Clinical Neuropsychology (CN) Track of the Clinical Program typically receive support during their first year as TAs in the Department of Psychology. Some RAs are usually available also. After their first year, CN students are usually placed on CN Research Assistantships (RA) in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and surrounding practices. These paid practica may involve provision of clinical services and/or clinical research. They are 12 month appointments from Sept 1 to August 31 of each year. The funding for these positions comes from yearly contracts with TMC facilities and other practices. The funding is run through the Department of Psychology at UH such that students on these contracts are UH employees and receive the UH package of benefits described above on a 12 month basis. Such funding is usually available to students for all years after the first year at UH. Occasionally students may be supported in other ways such as on TAs for various reasons (e.g., interest in teaching more advanced courses) or RAs at the University of Houston. The level of support for the CN RAs is based on the degree status of the student. If the student has a Bachelor’s degree, the monthly stipend is currently estimated between $1100-1200 plus benefits. If the student has a Master’s degree, the monthly stipend is currently estimated between $1500-1600 plus benefits.